


Questions

by Astronomic



Category: Red Queen Series - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:41:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astronomic/pseuds/Astronomic
Summary: Cal has some questions for Mare
Relationships: Mare Barrow/Tiberias "Cal" Calore VII, Marecal - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	Questions

The wind howled outside like a vengeful spirit, whistling through the wooden boards of the Notch base. The frigid winter air wound its way through the whole structure, it’s icy fingers reaching for me. I shivered and drew the blanket closer around my shoulders, snuggling into Cal’s chest. If I was cold with the fire prince here, I couldn’t imagine how the others would be feeling. It’s a good thing Cal went to every room before the night set in, lighting fires in the small makeshift pits dug directly into the dirt ground. His arms drew me in, chasing away the cold with his natural warmth. He yawned lazily, like the bitter winter was nothing more than a cool summer breeze. To a burner, it might as well be.

“How many more beds do we need?” he asked, another yawn trailing after his words.

“Eleven,” I said, doing a mental headcount. The last few days recruiting newbloods had been incredibly successful; we were able to take in a huge chunk off of Julien’s list. We had even found a newblood couple, married for two years and expecting a child within the month. “And we’re going to have to find a private room for Jonson and Lysa, because she’s ready to pop any day now. Remind me to find medical books for Ada so she can help with the delivery.”

Cal only hummed in response, a sign that his mind was occupied with something else. His fingers played absently with the tips of my hair, and he rested his cheek on top of my head. I curled into his cocoon of warmth, pressing my forehead to his collarbone.

“We’re going to need another room for all the kids too, Nanny’s going to be overwhelmed soon and we can’t keep shoving them all into one room.”

“Tell me about Red marriages,” he asked suddenly, the words barely more than a whisper.

I paused for a moment, caught off guard, “What?”

“I want to know about Red marriages.”

I leaned back to look at his face. His eyes were bleary, but determined, his endless curiosity striking again. “Where did this come from?”

“Jonson and Lysa got me thinking about it. Their families have nothing to do with each other, nothing to gain from their union. It just fascinates me.”

“Reds don’t marry for political gain. Maybe for a little economic stability sometimes, but not to, like, forge alliances or whatever.”

“I know that,” he pressed, “Which is why I want to learn more about it.”

I blinked, taking in his request. The small fire in the pit threw dancing shadows over his face, and the firelight reflected in his bronze eyes, glinting with intensity. “Well, Reds marry for love.”

“But does marriage really matter if you truly love someone?”

“I mean it won’t affect your actual feelings, but its a sign of devotion. You love this person so much you’re willing to bind yourself to them until you die. Or get a divorce, which ever comes first.”

Cal propped himself up on his elbow, “See that’s what I don’t understand. If it’s just out of love, and that love eventually fades, it’s a hassle to unbind yourselves. So why bother with the legal trouble if it isn’t guaranteed to last?”

“Nothing’s guaranteed,” I shrugged, “We’re not even guaranteed to live past tomorrow, but we’re still going to get up and look for newbloods, right? Devoting yourself to someone, building a family with someone you love, it’s one of the small happinesses we get as Reds.”

He pursed his lips, mulling over the words, and slowly laid back down again, staring up at the ceiling, “Then how do you know who the right one is?”

“I don’t think there’s anything special. When you know you know.”

“Sounds complicated. With Silvers you just determine who you can gain the most from and negotiate from there.”

“And you can’t divorce?”

“Not unless the family gravely disrespected you in some way. Or if you _want_ bad blood between names.”

I laughed quietly, “That sounds so awful to me. I can’t imagine being stuck in a relationship with someone I don’t love.”

“It’s not a relationship, it’s a union of families. If one or both have other people they actually love then we’re usually free to have those affairs quietly.”

“Like you royals and your consorts.”

“Yes.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

He shrugged, “Not really. You see your lover when you can in private, but in public you’re to be with your spouse. And if you and your lover fall out of love, then you just separate with no legal nonsense.”

“Yeah, but you can’t have a family with them,” I said, lightly running my fingers over his arm, “You can’t have children with them. Or live with them. Or sleep in the same bed with them every night, eat breakfast or dinner with them. You can’t travel with them, or spend every holiday with them.” Cal turned his gaze to me as I continued, eyes soft, “You can’t fully be with them. Marrying for love isn’t always guaranteed to last, but at least you’ll be with them every moment you’re still in love, and fulfill everything you want with them.”

“Did you plan to get married? Before all this happened,” he asked softly..

“I thought it would happen eventually.” I decided not to mention how I probably would’ve ended up with Kilorn, and made a family with my friend in a quiet, comfortable marriage.

“And what about now?” His eyes met mine and my heart skipped a beat. I didn’t dare go looking any further into his question.

“I don’t even know if I’ll make it to the end of the week. Marriage and family and all that stuff is so far out of my mind right now.”

Cal hummed quietly again, and returned his gaze to the ceiling, “That’s fair, I suppose.”

I nudged his arm, “What about you?”

“Marriage was my fate before I was born,” he scoffed, “I had no choice in the matter.”

“I mean now. You don’t have to marry Evangeline anymore. You don’t have to marry _anyone_ if you don’t want to. So what do you think now that the choice is yours?”

He blinked up at the ceiling, thinking a million thoughts. I doubt Cal got to choose often, that he had permission to make a decision for himself. He was created to follow a set of rules that no longer existed; no wonder he looked so lost half the time.

“I don’t know if I could, to be quite honest.”

“Why?”

“It’s hard to unlearn a way of life, Mare. Marrying for love is so forgein to me, I don’t know if I’ll get used to the idea. And, like you said, I don’t know if I’ll be alive long enough. The whole country wants my head on a platter.”

I tried to ignore the small pang of dejection in my chest, “I hope you get there one day.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I want you to have the freedom to choose for yourself.”

After a moment’s pause, he turned on his side again, threading his arm around my waist. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

The conversation dissolved to giggles interrupted by small kisses and light touches. We let the contact take over our minds, ignoring thoughts of unknown futures, good or bad, until the fire died out, and the howling wind sang us to sleep.

~

A gasp swept through the Mess Hall as the young man lowered himself to one knee, nervousness splashed across his face, “Jason,” his voice wavering, but determined, “I know the future isn’t certain, and that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I know that I love you, and I know that I have to take full advantage of life while we still have it. Will you marry me?”

Jason gazed down at his proposing lover, his eyes full of tears and a hand clasped tightly over his mouth. I held my breath, clasping Gisa’s hands tightly. Though I couldn’t hear Jason’s whispered answer, he was nodding his head, and the mess hall erupted in applause, some even whistling as cheering as the couple embraced. Even Colonel Farley managed something that looked like a smile.

I turned to my family who all looked as ecstatic as I felt. Bree and Tramy whistling, Dad applauding with fervour, while Mom and Gisa wiped stray tears from their cheeks. Only Cal looked out of place. Though he clapped along with everyone else, he did so with a soft, calculating expression, like he was analyzing the proposal more than celebrating it. I thought back to the Hall of the Sun, how Maven and Cal “proposed” to Evangeline and I. Pre-arranged, devoid of emotion, a scheduled announcement more than anything. We might as well have shook hands after closing a deal, which is essentially what it was. This was probably the first time he had seen a Red proposal, and the ever curious prince was soaking in every detail.

Colonel Farley stood, spreading his arms, “Well this is a wonderful surprise. Congratulations on your engagement, Jason and Rian. Is there anything we can offer you?”

“Would we be able to have the wedding tomorrow?” Rian asked, threading his fingers with Jason’s.

“Well, with such short notice I can’t offer you a proper ceremony,” the Colonel scratched his stubbed jaw, “But we’ll find a way to make it work.”

“Thank you, Colonel,” Jason beamed as another round of cheers echoed through the hall.

“I’m going to make them a banner,” Gisa said, whipping her head back around to us, “So they can have a little something.”

“I’ll look around tomorrow and get some instruments for anyone who can play,” Tramy added.

“It’s not a wedding without music,” Mom sniffed, dabbing her cheeks with a napkin, and curling her free hand over my father’s. “Do you remember our wedding, honey?”

Dad grunted, nodding with a faint smile on his lips at the faraway memory.

I glanced over all their faces with a small smile of my own, absorbing the sight. Smiles were rare around here, happiness and excitement almost nonexistent. I revelled in these moments, it allowed me to forget the looming future hanging over our heads. I paused on Cal, who was still watching the couple with a pensive look on his face, his brows furrowed slightly. He was wrapped up in thought, and I could see the questions burning in his molten eyes.

“What’s on your mind, _Your Highness_ ,” I threw his title at him to catch his attention.

It worked, and he snapped his gaze to me, curiously giving way to annoyance. More and more he hated being called that. “Nothing really,” he lied.

“Come on, Cal,” I huffed, “Just ask your question.”

Cal fiddled nervously with his fork, glancing at the rest of my family who had turned their now slightly hostile attention to him. He looked uncomfortable, and I immediately regretted putting him in this vulnerable position. Maybe I should’ve waited until we were alone to ask what he was thinking.

“I was just wondering,” he said haltingly, “What Red weddings were like.”

If I thought my family would handle his question with grace, then I gave them too much credit. My parents shared a pained look, while Bree and Tramy openly guffawed. Only Gisa tried to keep a neutral expression, but she had to cover her mouth and turn away to hide her laughter. Indignance twisted Cal’s face, and I could see the metal fork in his hand begin to faintly glow red as he gripped it tightly.

“Well,” I blurted out, directing the Prince’s quickly rising anger away from my family, “It depends on where you are and what you can afford. But usually it’s the two families and maybe some close friends, and everyone gets together in a church or perhaps an Inn hall, the bride and groom say their vows and then kiss to make it official.”

“And afterwards, everyone eats and dances to music,” Gisa cut in, finally composing herself. “And all the adults get really drunk. They’re a lot of fun.”

“One of the few _fun_ things we’re allowed to have,” Dad grumbled snarkily, cutting a glare to Cal. My mother elbowed him hard in the arm.

Cal nodded, lowering his gaze to his half-finished plate of food, “That sounds lovely,” he offered politely, trying to diminish the awkwardness.

“Why,” Bree narrowed his eyes, “What are Silver weddings like? You all sit in a circle and talk about what you’re gonna trade?”

“ _No_ ,” Cal snapped, a bit too sharply. Though he was getting better at mingling with Reds and the Scarlet Guard, he was still defensive over his past Silver life. “Silver weddings are… not dissimilar to yours, actually. We gather, exchange vows and rings, kiss, and move on to the reception for a feast and a ball.”

“Oh, a _feast_ ,” Tramy drawled, mocking Cal’s articulate accent, “ _How_ _divine_.”

I kicked Tramy’s shin under the table. Cal clenched his jaw, upset that his curiosity was being made fun of. I made a mental note to keep his questions away from my family from now on.

Gisa noticed Cal’s discomfort, and tried to divert the tense conversation, “When I worked as an apprentice in Summerton, I’d help my mistress work on wedding dresses sometimes.” Cal turned his bronze gaze to Gisa, and she tried not to stammer under the weight of it, “W-we were working on a mock-up actually. For whoever you were going to marry. I asked how we could start one without even knowing who it was, but my mistress said the decision was obvious,” she trailed off with an awkward laugh.

Cal’s face softened slightly, “I’ve heard your sewing skills are fantastic, I’m sure whatever you and your mistress made would have been splendid.” Gisa blushed at his compliment, and looked down at the table, trying to hide her smile. “Are there such dresses at Red weddings too?”

It was Mom’s turn to laugh, shaking her head, “Absolutely not. No one can afford a dress like that. _Especially_ not a royal one. We get what we can; sometimes a cheap wedding gown, sometimes just a nice white dress. It’s a very casual affair, Your Highness.”

Cal’s eye twitched, immediately blurting out, “Call me Cal. Please,” he tacked on at the end, showing more manners to my mother than to the soldiers who teased him with his title.

“Why are you so interested in Red weddings, _Cal_?” my dad piped up all of a sudden. His eyes narrowed with suspicion, though what he was suspicious of, I didn’t know. It’s not like Cal could do anything with this information.

Cal couldn’t meet my father’s eyes, “I just like to learn, sir.”

“Learn what? How poor your _subjects_ are that we can barely have a wedding? So you can compare ours to yours? Are you making fun of us?”

“N-no, not at all. I was merely curious as to-”

“How pathetic our lives are? We can’t even afford dresses and _feasts_ for our weddings. Our lives suck. And it’s all thanks to you, _Your Highness_.”

“Dad!” I cut him off, but the damage was done.

Cal dropped his fork and stood abruptly, almost tipping his chair over with the force. For a moment, I thought he was going to catch fire and burn the Mess Hall to the ground. The look on his face told me he wanted to.

“Forgive me for asking,” his voice was tight, trying his best to be cordial, “I meant no disrespect, it won’t happen again. If you’ll excuse me,” he gave us a curt nod and turned on his heel, striding away until he reached the exit, slamming the door open and disappearing down the corridor. Looks and whispers flitted around us, wondering what made the fallen Prince leave the Hall in such a hurry.

I glared at my family, “Why do you guys have to be such assholes?”

“ _Us_ ?” Bree gaped, pointing in the direction Cal went, “He’s the _Prince_ . His daddy and all his grand-daddys before him _oppressed_ _us_ on purpose, and he was going to do the same when he became King, but _we’re_ the assholes?”

“The King is dead and the court betrayed him, he has nowhere to go but here. He just wants to be accepted by you.”

“Mare,” my father cut in, a sad but stern look on his face, “I don’t know what they did to you, but the feelings you have for him aren’t normal. Maybe he was nice to you, but he’s a Silver. And not just a Silver, but the Prince. You’re supposed to hate him.”

“Well I don’t,” I tried to sound angry, but my voice faltered at the end, cracking with emotion.

“Honey,” my mom said, her tone soft, “You’re free from them. You’re with your people. Reds _and_ newbloods.” She reached across the table for my hand, “You can let him go now.”

I snatched my hand away, “Why can’t you just give him a chance? He’s trying so hard, why can’t you?”

“He’s the Silver Prince,” my dad growled, “We’ll never accept him.”

It was my turn to stand from the table, though Cal was much more composed than I was. I fought the urge to wipe the hot tears spilling down my cheeks as I grit my teeth, “I can’t believe you all.”

Then I was storming away, in the opposite direction of Cal. My last words were a lie. I could believe them. I understood what they were saying, and I agreed on everything they felt towards the Silvers, except for one. Cal _was_ different, and he _was_ trying, and the fact that my family refused to even see that broke my heart.

~

I wiped my brow as I climbed the porch steps to our house, the Piedmont sun beating down on me. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, or a lick of wind in the air. All there was, was the crisp, sizzling heat of the sun, baking everything in its light. I begged the other electrions to finish training early, and they didn’t put up much of a fight. Even the Piedmont-born Rafe sweated uncomfortably in the heat. Downing the last of my water bottle, I threw the door open, stepping in to the blessed curtain of air conditioning. I stood there for a moment, letting the cool air wrap around my sweaty skin, taming the burning skin on my cheeks. I hadn’t put sunscreen on before I left, I hoped I didn’t get a sunburn. Sighing contentedly, I stepped further into the house, and was greeted with a confusing sight.

Cal sat in the kitchen, across the island from my parents. Mom dabbed her eyes with a napkin, while Dad had an arm settled around her shoulders. My mind instantly spiraled out of control, forming every kind of worst-case scenario I could think of: Bree was dead, Tramy was dead, Gisa was dead, all three were dead and so was Kilorn. Shade’s lifeless eyes flashed before me, and I felt my knees weaken. I couldn’t go through that again.

I was about to scream, about to ask what happened, when I noticed my father’s face. He was… smiling? _At_ Cal? And so was my mother. My swirling thoughts came to a screeching halt, and I stood dumbfounded in the kitchen doorway, any words I had dying on my tongue.

Cal noticed me first, his own bright smile morphing into a polite, neutral expression, “Oh, there you are, Mare.”

“Hi,” I said hesitantly, slowly stepping towards the island, “What’s going on here?”

“I’ve come to collect you for our meeting with the Premier.”

“You’re kind of early though,” I looked warily between my parents and Cal. Something was up, but they weren’t telling me, “You knew I was training until noon.”

“I thought I’d swing by before you arrived,” Cal shrugged, lacing his fingers together, “Go get ready, the meeting’s moved up to 1 o’clock.”

“I’ll make some lunch for you before you go,” Mom sniffed, gathering herself, and stood from the island to bustle around the kitchen.

“Did I miss something?” I put my hands on my hips. I hated when people kept secrets from me.

“I’ll tell you later, Mare, but you really have to go get ready. Davidson will be upset if we’re tardy again.”

I shot a quizzical glance to my father, but he just nodded and made a shooing motion. Dad siding with Cal only made my confusion grow, but I figured I wasn’t going to get anymore out of them. I jogged upstairs to the bathroom, leaving to the sound of my mother in the kitchen, and Dad asking Cal what ‘tardy’ meant.

Showered, changed, and fed, I hopped down the porch steps forty-five minutes later. We had fifteen minutes to drive across the base for the meeting with Davidson and the Scarlet Guard, and I could barely keep up with Cal’s long strides as we walked to his transport. I had been so tired from training I didn’t even register it earlier when I had arrived. I kept my mouth shut until we were both seated in the transport, and Cal was peeling away from my family’s home.

“So what the hell was happening back there?” I asked confusedly.

Cal only offered me a cheeky smile, swerving to avoid other transports driving around the base, “I said I would tell you later. It’s really nothing to concern yourself with.”

“You were sitting alone in my kitchen with my parents, and my mom was crying. I feel like that concerns me.”

Cal reached for my hand, pulling it towards his lips to press a light kiss to my skin, as if that was supposed to be an answer, “We have more pressing matters at hand, Mare. The meeting was moved up because Colonel Treyvor insisted on going on her honeymoon starting this evening. ‘To have it while we still can’, as she put it.” Cal rolled his eyes, “Sergeant Gristle will take her place in the interim, so that will be another two days or so catching him up to speed.”

“And how do you feel about that?” I leaned against the transport door, letting the wind from the open window whip my hair.

“I understand why the Treyvor’s want to take advantage of the time they have, but it’s still... egregiously inconvenient for the rest of us.”

I blinked. Cal whipped out the fancy words when something bothered him. While I was more literate than most Reds, I still struggled to keep up with a Silver's vocabulary, “Right. That sucks.”

“It does indeed.”

I watched him as he drove, his intense eyes focused on the road. He felt me watching him, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “What?”

“Oh, nothing I was just wondering when you were going to ask what Red honeymoons were like.”

That broke his serious expression, and he laughed quietly. “I figured they weren’t so different from Silver honeymoons, but very well. What are Red honeymoons like?”

“Well,” I started dramatically, waving my free hand around, “Most Reds don’t actually get to take honeymoons, because they’re too busy fighting in the Choke. And if not, they can hardly afford to put food on the table, let alone do much else. But, for those who can, I’ve heard they take off work, rent a room in an Inn somewhere in a different town, and just be with each other.”

“How long does it last usually?” he asked hesitantly, like he already knew the answer.

“Not long. The most well-off Reds can afford a week, tops. What about Silvers?”

Cal chewed nervously on his bottom lip, “Usually about a month.”

“A MONTH?” I exclaimed. My family and I couldn’t even consider taking time off for a _day_ , let alone an entire month. “What do you even do for an entire month?”

“Getting to know each other mostly,” Cal shrugged, “As well as conceiving a child.”

“Silvers start making babies within a month of being married?” I asked bewildered. My mind raced with an alternate future, where Elara and Maven never betrayed the King, where both weddings went ahead as planned. Would I be a princess with a child at this point, had that never happened?

“Most of the time. It’s only the royals who usually wait. Unless they’re currently on the throne, like… when Elara gave birth to my brother,” Cal’s grip on the wheel tightened. “Then they’ll have a baby right away.”

“But you were already born, it’s not like they needed a new heir,” I frowned.

“There has to be at least two heirs, in case something happens,” Cal spit out, “Which it did. Just not in a way anyone was expecting.”

I squeezed his hand, which was growing hotter by the second, and tried to redirect the conversation somewhere less painful, “Well, Reds usually wait until their money fully mixes together, and they have a new home and everything. And since they already know each other, the honeymoon is just full of drinking and good times.”

“In an Inn in the next town over?”

“Yeah, you get to be with your partner in a place where no one knows you. It’s kinda romantic if you ask me.”

“You never struck me as a romantic,” he mused.

“I have my wants, same as everyone else,” I shrugged.

“And what do you want, Mare?”

The transport slowed until it came to a stop, parked in front of HQ. We made it in ten minutes, with five to spare, and although I knew we should be getting out and walking into the building, we stayed put, staring at each other over our still held hands.

“I don’t know,” I whispered, my heartbeat quickening, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“The last time I asked you about it, you said you didn’t know if you were going to make it to the end of the week, and it’s been nearly a year.” His thumb grazed gently over the back of my hand, raising goosebumps on my skin. “You still don’t know?”

“The war’s not over yet,” I stammered. Cal’s warmth and the Piedmont heat were fogging my brain, I couldn’t think straight. “I’m sure I’ll want to, after this is all over, but I can’t think about it now. Why do you want to know?”

Cal was quiet for a moment, his molten eyes boring into mine, like he was trying to pull out an answer I didn’t even have myself. Then he dropped my hand, and it’s like a spell broke, a cool, summer breeze dancing in through the open window, “Just curious. Now come along, I won’t be late again.”

I exited the transport and rounded the front, jogging to keep up with Cal’s quick pace. He looked distracted, lost in thought again. I poked his arm, hoping to catch him off guard, “So what were you and my parents talking about?”

“I told you I’ll tell you later.”

_Damn it._

~

The morning carried a faint grey light and a cool autumn breeze through the open window of my bedroom. Sleep still clutched the edges of my brain as I stirred, stretching in place on the mattress. My body still ached from the night before, it would probably take the rest of the day to get over the soreness. Well, that’s what happens when I haven’t seen my boyfriend in over a month. I turned under the covers, into the chest of said boyfriend, whose arms instantly curled around my waist, chasing away the autumn air that chilled the room.

I pressed my forehead to Cal’s collarbone, letting his warmth soak into my skin. I could feel his chest rise and fall with steady breaths, and his strong, even heartbeat thumping against his ribcage. His calloused fingers drew lazy circles on my back, and I knew he wasn’t fully asleep.

“Good morning, Ambassador,” I mumbled against him.

He only hummed weakly in response, not yet ready for words.

“Did you sleep well last night?” I pressed.

I could feel him nod against the top of my head.

“Shall I tell Davidson our negotiations were a success, then?” I placed an innocent peck on his neck.

Cal’s fingers stilled, and his chest heaved with a defeated sigh. “Yes,” he grumbled, “And since when have you said ‘ _Shall I_ ’?”

“I guess you’re rubbing off on me,” I grinned, and pushed him on his back, shifting until I straddled his waist.

He blinked up at me, bleary eyes still clouded with sleep, “Davidson has to stop sending you in every time he wants a political advantage.”

“Or maybe you just need more spine. I can’t believe you were almost King,” I shook my head and Cal smiled softly. It’d been three years since we defeated Maven and his Silver Army, bringing up his past life no longer stung like it used to. “You would’ve folded with a bat of an eye.” I fluttered my eyelashes to highlight my point.

“Only for you,” he admitted softly. His hands trailed my naked thighs, leaving lines of heat in their wake. “I would’ve done anything for you.”

My heart skipped a beat. Five years knowing him, and he still had this effect on me. “No, you wouldn’t have.”

”What makes you say that?” he frowned.

“Because... I-I would’ve made you end Red oppression,” I stuttered.

“I would’ve done it.”

“And made you pay them well.”

“That too.”

“End Red conscription.”

“Gone in a heartbeat.”

“Dismantle the Tech Towns.”

“Razed to the ground.”

“Better infrastructure in Red villages.”

“Improved economy too.”

I chewed my bottom lip, pressing my hands to his abdomen, “You would’ve done all that if I asked you?”

“Yes,” he breathed.

“Even if I wasn’t your queen?”

“You were always my queen, Mare Barrow. Even now.”

I rolled my eyes, hoping it distracted him from my blushing cheeks, “And you were always cheesy, Tiberias Calore.”

“But honest all the same,” he said.

I let my gaze fall to his bare torso, my fingers brushing over his chest hair. “Maybe we could’ve let you be King. Put you on the throne when we defeated Maven.”

“I was over it at that point,” he sighed, “It was too much for something so silly. History never favoured monarchy, the throne was bound to fall, whether it was then or later. Besides,” Cal sat up so we were face to face, placing his hands on my lower back, “My queen wouldn’t have wanted the throne anyway.”

My eyes widened, too shocked to look away from his determined face. My chest felt fuzzy, my head was spinning, and I swallowed hard, “You wouldn’t have asked me to be your queen.”

“Why not?” he whispered.

My heartbeat doubled, “B-because you have nothing to gain from marrying me. Silvers marry for gain.”

“I’d gain the love of my life forever at my side.”

“You told me you didn't think you could ever marry for love.”

“I changed my mind.” His eyes were so enchanting, like a flickering candle flame in a darkened room. This was heading somewhere dangerous, but something in me didn’t want it to stop.

“But the throne’s gone, I can’t be your queen anymore. Even if I wanted to.”

“ _Do_ you want to?”

My heart hammered in my chest, “Maybe.”

“Then I have a question for you.”

“What is it, Cal?”

He slipped out from under me, and slid off the bed. I felt light and dizzy, like I was detached from my body, my soul floating somewhere around the ceiling. Cal gently took my knees, pulling me towards him until my legs dangled off the edge of the mattress. The expression on his face made my heart ache. He looked at me like I was the only person in his world, like I was the center of his being. He made me feel untouchable, incomparable; loved.

My breath caught as he lowered to one knee, the world swimming before me as my eyes welled with tears. Cal took my hands in his, holding me like a lifeline.

“Will you marry me?”

Five years ago, I felt my life end with a soulless proposal from a soulless person. But now, in this moment, with the man I loved on his knee before me, I felt my life begin again.

I don’t know how I managed to answer through my crying, but I needed to hear myself say it too, “Yes.”

Cal’s smile could’ve rivaled the sun, tears of his own rolling down his perfect face, “Will you really?”

“Yes,” I sobbed again, and threw my arms around his neck. Kissing him felt like cool water on a hot day, like my senses returning to me with sudden intensity. He stood up, his arms locked around me like he’d never let me go again. We collapsed onto the bed, a tangle of limbs.

He kissed me over and over, muttering desperately between each one, “I love you. I love you so much. Promise you’ll stay with me forever.”

“I promise,” I breathed.

And this time, I meant it.

**Author's Note:**

> Another little thing here, because I’ve weirdly been getting inspiration for these two.
> 
> I’ve been wanting to do a kind of rewrite/AU where Cal never took the throne and Maven was the final battle. Let me know if you’d be interested in that!
> 
> But for now I hope you enjoyed it! 💙


End file.
